eXtreme Measures
by QuickSilver Knight
Summary: A crossover with a small twist. And no, Ranma won't become all powerful in this one.
1. Default Chapter

Greeting all. Disclaimer is at the end.  
  
  
  
eXtreme Measures  
  
Setting: Just after Jusendo and just before the failed wedding.  
  
  
  
The clear tenor voice literally sang the words "Change here."  
  
The pebble made a small splash into Mimir's Well and several of the godlings craned their necks for a better view.  
  
Toltiir (a.k.a. Puck, a.k.a. Trickster, a.k.a. etc) took one look at the scene and then turned towards the Angel. "Hark, even for one of the Herald Angels... you are weird."  
  
"Thank you Elder. I think."  
  
* * *  
  
Nabiki sat back in her chair and pinched the bridge of her nose. 'All that work. For nothing.' She sighed and then looked at the paper that was sitting on her desk in front of her. Akane was going to freak. That was the only conclusion she could come to. It wasn't like she would cover this up for Akane and Ranma. It was too big and too important. "Damn. I should have known that anyone that overbearing about honor was hiding something. Damn you Nodoka."  
  
  
  
A short time later..  
  
  
  
"I'm WHAT!?! Nabiki, you gotta be shitting me!"  
  
"I wish Sao... I wish Ranma. These are the results from the blood tests for your and Akane's wedding license."  
  
Ranma winced at the wording and then looked helplessly at Akane. All of the hassles were for nothing. None of his fiancés were his. Even Kodachi wouldn't want him now. Well, Shampoo was still his fiancé. Oh joy, oh rapture. Ukyou was going to have a conniption, he just knew it. And Akane. well Akane was just sitting there looking at him.  
  
Ranma sat back and started really thinking about what had just been revealed to him. Genma was not his father. Genma was not his father. Like a loop of bad film, Ranma's life began to play out in his head. What was worse was that it was in color. Everything Genma had done to him in order to make his 'son' a man among men... and he wasn't his son. Nodoka had had an affair. Nodoka had an affair... looking at Genma, it wasn't that much of a stretch not to blame her. *Wonder if Genma even knows...*  
  
The front door opening and closing was enough to break the tension for a moment. That is until it became evident that it was Genma and Nodoka. As Ranma stood up and headed towards them, Nabiki watched as Akane got up and slowly headed upstairs.  
  
"Mother, Genma, I need to talk to you." Neither one of them seemed to notice that he called him Genma and not Oyaji.  
  
"We will be with you in a moment dear. As soon as..."  
  
"No Mother. Now."  
  
"Boy! What has gotten into you?" Genma bellowed. "You don't talk to your Mother that way!"  
  
Ranma simply turned and looked at him. "Shut up Genma. I don't want to hear it from you right now."  
  
"Oh really Boy!? We'll just see abou." The backhand came so fast, that Nabiki didn't even see it, only it's effect. Genma's head whipped around and he slammed into the wall. Hard.  
  
"Ranma! What on earth has gotten into you?" Nodoka strode forward and glared at her son. "You will not treat your father so."  
  
"My 'father'. Interesting word isn't it 'mother'?" Nodoka heard the stress that Ranma put into both of the words and she instantly paled.  
  
Nabiki, sitting unnoticed over in the corner, shook her head. *Yep, Nodoka now knows that he knows. This is going to get ugly.* Then she realized that Genma was getting groggily to his feet. *Whoops, make that VERY ugly.*  
  
Genma had just begun to tense for the leap towards his disgraceful boy when Ranma suddenly turned towards him. "Don't do it old man. I ain't joking this time."  
  
Many things could (and have) been said about Genma Saotome. One thing that was true was that Genma had a very well developed sense of self- preservation. There was something in Ranma's eyes and the dead cold tone in his voice that told Genma that it was literally worth his life to not mess with the young martial artist right now.  
  
Disregarding the older man as a non-threat, and without bothering to look at his mother, Ranma started towards the side door. "I'll be in the Dojo mother. I'd like to talk to you. Now."  
  
  
  
Nabiki sat on the side porch and watched the Dojo intently. This was as near as Kasumi would let her go. Then again, after the third crash and flair of chi, she wasn't all that sure that she wanted to get any closer. It wasn't like she couldn't hear them anyway. She shook her head bemusedly. She was used to Ranma yelling occasionally, and the old moron yelled almost as much as her daddy cried, but she hadn't expected Nodoka to be a screamer. She definitely had not expected Ranma to yell at Nodoka. The sudden silence was like a physical blow, and she rocked back a little before bending forward as if into the wind.  
  
An hour after it became quiet, the yelling commenced again. This time it was halted by Genma flying through the Dojo wall and into the koi pond, where the panda floated unconsciously. Amazingly, Nodoka and Ranma quietly exited. Nodoka headed directly towards the side exit without sparing the panda a look while Ranma headed directly towards Nabiki.  
  
  
  
Nabiki sat back on her bed with her back against the headboard and looked up at Ranma. "Ok, let me get this straight. Your real father is some gaijin that your mother met at a party one of her cousin's had. She was so struck by how manly he was that she got drunk, had sex with him, and got pregnant. To cover it up, she married Genma right after finding out she was pregnant."  
  
Ranma frowned at the way that Nabiki said what she had said, but then nodded in confirmation.  
  
"Damn..." Nabiki muttered. "I should have known something was weird about you just by looking at you, but I didn't."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Your blue eyes Ranma. How many Japanese do you know with blue eyes?"  
  
Ranma nodded and then said aloud "Yea, I get what you're saying. How many do you know with red hair?"  
  
Nabiki's head snapped up a little as she stared him in the face. "That... That's a good question."  
  
Silence reigned for a moment and then she asked the important question. "What are you going to do now Ranma? Daddy is furious, as if you can't tell." She was referring of course to the argument that could be heard coming from downstairs. Genma and Soun were on round two from the sounds of it.  
  
Ranma straightened up from where he had been slouching against the wall. The old Ranma fire was still there in his eyes as he stared at her. "I'm gonna find him. Find out who and what he is." He said in a low even tone. He suddenly became subdued and lowered his gaze. He finished with a barely muttered "After that. I don't know anymore."  
  
"Okaaaayyy." She drawled, and then changed topics. "Have you talked to Akane about this yet?"  
  
"No. What's there to talk about? She already hated me before this. Now, I'm nameless AND a freak.  
  
"Look Ranma, I know you two didn't get along to well sometimes, most of the time and I don't think that you two were ready to get married yet, but."  
  
"Forget it Nabiki. Ranma sighed, shook his head, and then continued. "Look, I ain't a Saotome, your old man is blaming ME for this and wants me gone, Akane and I have NEVER been a real couple. Hell, I don't know for sure how I feel much less how she feels. Let's face it. We screwed up any chance of me and Akane ever being a couple."  
  
"We?"  
  
"Yea, 'we' Nabiki. Akane on account of her anger and her jealousy, me on account of my mouth and my pride, and you on account that you just couldn't leave things alone and your greed." Before Nabiki could interrupt him Ranma continued on. "Yea Nabiki, I know you needed the money for the house and all but sometimes you went to far and you know it. It was all our faults Nabiki."  
  
"I... I guess you're right Ranma."  
  
"Well, look at the bright side Nabiki." Ranma's lip curled up slightly at the corner. "At least with me gone the property damage will go down."  
  
"So," Nabiki started again trying for nonchalant here. "Where is it you are going again?"  
  
"Well his last known location was in New Yo." Ranma stopped and then shook his head. "Nope, not this time Nabiki." He glared at her for a moment. You're not going to use me one last time."  
  
"Oh come on Ranma, Why do you think I'm always going to use you?"  
  
"Because you do."  
  
Nabiki didn't really have an answer for this for a moment. Finally she sighed. "Look, I don't always use you. It could be that maybe, just maybe, Kasumi and I do care about you and how you will be.  
  
"Kasumi, I believe will care. You? No.  
  
"Oh, come on Ranma. I always gave you a chance didn't I?"  
  
"No, actually you didn't Nabiki."  
  
"What? Oh come on Ranma, I always gave you at least a chance, always."  
  
Ranma walked over to her and looked her square in the eyes. "Really? Are you really sure of that Nabiki?  
  
"I'm sure enough that I would bet on it." Nabiki said a bit smugly and then sat back a little.  
  
"Okay, I'll take that bet Nabiki. What are we betting?"  
  
"Huh?" Nabiki was startled, she hadn't expected this.  
  
"You win, I'll give you the address that I'm going to. I win and you handle the Kuno's and the rest of the fiancé brigade as best you can after I'm gone, no fees.  
  
Nabiki's mind whirled for a moment going over the past, and then she smiled. "Okay Ranma, you're on."  
  
The words had barely left her mouth and he was suddenly in her face, their noses almost touching as he stared into her eyes. "You say you always give me a chance huh? Remember back when you and I was engaged for a little while Biki-chan?" Her eyes widened a little at this comment. "Now, I was your fiancé and I did try.Can you say the same? Can you honestly say that you gave me a chance to really be your fiancé?"  
  
Nabiki felt extremely small as she looked into his eyes. "I.I. No. I can't."  
  
Just as suddenly as he had appeared, Ranma had backed up. "I didn't think so. Bye Nabiki."  
  
Just before leaving out the door he looked back at her. She looked. insecure sitting there on her bed with her arms around her knees and staring at the wall. "Nabiki?" She looked up.  
  
"Salem Center, New York, Nabiki. In America." Her eyes widened as she realized what he had said.  
  
"And Nabiki? Guess we'll never know will we?" At her confused look he continued. "If we could have worked."  
  
And on that note he walked out and closed the door.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
Ranma held on to the tickets with one hand and a small slip of paper with the other. "Thank you mother. I... I'll call after I find him."  
  
"I know you will my son. You will do well. You always do."  
  
"I. Thank you mother. I gotta go."  
  
"Goodbye my son."  
  
* * *  
  
And a small piece of paper held the following words in his mother's handwriting:  
  
Logan-san Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters 1407 Greymalkin Lane, Salem Center, NY, 10274  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
  
  
Hark looked down into the well and then shook his head. "Well that is going to be interesting. I didn't foresee that." He sang.  
  
Toltiir looked in also and asked snidely. "What, you didn't foresee the New Mutants, Hellions, and the Sentinels just to name a few being involved? Being romantically chased by Magik, Karma, and even Wolfsbane, besides about a dozen others?"  
  
"No." Hark sang. "I'm talking about that."  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
She just stared at Ranma. "You mean to tell me that this is your true father?" At Ranma's tense nod Cologne looked back and forth between Logan and Ranma and then finally just shook her head. "Well, THIS surely puts a crimp in Shampoo's marriage claim."  
  
"What do ya mean old ghoul?"  
  
Ignoring Ranma, Kuh-lon Matriarch of the Joketsuku and Grand Mistress of  
  
Amazon Wu-shu, turned towards Logan and bowed. "Hello Father."  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
And at Mimir's Well, the godlings present were witness to the remarkable scene of Toltiir facefaulting.  
  
  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: Ranma ½ belongs to Takahashi, Viz, and others. X-men and assorted characters belong to Marvel Comics. Toltir and Mimir's Well is by Metroanime and if you have never read one of his fics I HIGHLY suggest you do so.  
  
I'm just here to play in the sandbox for a little while.  
  
The story is obviously set before chapter 38 of the manga and the X-men are set before Magik died and Cable showed up.  
  
For those of you who are X-fanatics... This is set just prior to Bird-Beak showing up and Doug's death.  
  
Ranma's mutant powers will come from his mother's side... not Logan. (This is a little known 'fact' about the Marvel Universe.) His healing and some minor other items ARE inherited from Logan as Logan breeds 'true'.  
  
QuickSilver Knight  
  
C&C would be nice please.  
  
More to come:  
  
What is so important about Nodoka's maiden name being Yashida?  
  
Why does Karma hate Ranma upon hearing Jusenkyo named?  
  
Do RanMA and RanKO have the same powers?  
  
Can Ranma escape the clutches of an infatuated Magik?  
  
And what does Raine have to say about the above?  
  
Ranma's first meeting with Catspaw?  
  
And whose lap will Ranma-neko curl up in after meeting Catspaw?  
  
What happens when Ranma meets Cyclops... and calls him a 'dick'? Cyclops: "Yep, definitely your kid Logan." 


	2. Plane Thinking

PLANE THINKING  
  
An interlude in Extreme Measures  
  
  
  
"I'm leaving on a jet plane don't know when I'll be back again,"  
  
"Yechh" Ranma grimaced slightly and pulled the plug on the headphones he'd been wearing in order to listen to the in-flight movie. Not likely he wanted to hear that song right now.  
  
Ranma sat back and turned away from the screen watching the clouds and endless seeming water through the airplane's window. Deep in thought, it amused him that this was the first time he had flown... well, on an airplane that was. Thoughts flickered through his head like his fists normally did through a kata.  
  
He sighed and finally decided to stop evading the issue: Akane. This was probably the longest amount of peace he had had while conscious and he might as well put it to some use.  
  
Did he truly love her? At first his mind shied from such a blatant question but he had realized that he had to confront the issue head on. Yes, he had to admit that he did care for her, but love? Ranma wasn't sure he knew what love was. He had three girls who swore that they loved him and one who seemed to alternate between love and hate. The shear concept of it threatened to overwhelm him but he took a deep breath and forced himself to fight through the problem.  
  
"Hmmm... I'll come back to Akane." He mumbled to himself.  
  
*Okaaayyy* he thought quietly after correctly interpreting the look he had received from his fellow passenger to the left as a 'Shut up already' look. He'd plenty of experience deciphering those. *Kodachi is right out. Not that she was ever 'in'*, Ranma thought to himself with a slight grimace. *Without me having a name anymore she'll drop me faster than a Chestnut Fist attack.*  
  
*Shan-pu. She is gonna be a problem. She's already tracked me from China to Japan. I really doubt that a little thing like the Pacific Ocean is gonna stop her. I wonder how long it'll take for her to get past the smokescreen Nabiki said she would try and run. If it was just Shan it wouldn't be that difficult but with the Old Ghoul... I figure I'll get two weeks to a month. And then... Damn, there has got to be a way. There's gotta be a way for me to convince her to just go away. Sh'yaeh, like I haven't been trying to come up with an answer since she followed my to the Tendou's house. Damn you Oyagi, This one is definitely your fault. You and your damn stomach.* Ranma had to stop and re-assess that thought a little. *Okay, so it's my fault too... It wasn't like I'd known what the deal was. Damn. Well, neither did Oyagi either... I know, it's the Jusenkyou Guide's fault. Damn. I'm starting to sound like Ryouga. Sh'yeah, what's he got to be so depressed about? At least he has a name.*  
  
*Ronin. I'm Ronin.* Ranma thought to himself. The concept still hadn't truly sunk into Ranma's head yet. The name was the sticking point here. With the fact that he was no longer Genma's son (and in truth had never been) a knock out blow was given to the fiancée mess. Ranma winced yet again, and it seemed he'd be doing that for quite a while to come as he thought about Ukyou.  
  
*Damn. Shit. Damn.* Ranma shook his head and closed his eyes. *I'd only ever thought of her as a friend. Hell, I didn't even know she was a 'she' until she showed up looking like a he.* Ranma stopped for a moment and reviewed that last thought to see if it even made sense. *Oh well, no more so than a lot of other things in my life. Ukyou is going to be upset.* He paused again in his thinking. *No. Ukyou is going to be pissed. With a capitol 'P'.* He'd left without even saying goodbye. Just a hastily scribbled note that Nabiki promised she would deliver. Her honor was still shot as Genma had promised her family his son... And he didn't have one. *It can't be helped* Ranma thought. *The agreement was for her to marry Ranma Saotome, not Ranma the (shudder) Ronin.* He nodded to himself and then frowned. Ranma truly cared about her but he just couldn't see her as anything more than his friend. He never could.  
  
Genma's promises were going to come back to haunt him for a long time to come.  
  
*FLASH*  
  
He could still hear the argument between Mr. Tendou and Genma, before he had left, in his head. Ranma had made the mistake of trying to exit out of the house the normal way after leaving Nabiki's room, so that he could at least say thank you and goodbye to Kasumi. Old man Tendou had actually gone off on him like it was 'his' fault he wasn't Genma's son. Considering what had gone on during the 'Saotome Family Meeting' out in the dojo, Ranma had been in less than an appreciative mood for Soun's crap. The resulting brawl had included almost everyone in the household in some way or another.  
  
Amazingly enough Happosai had not gotten involved in the fight other than sitting on the porch with Kasumi and Nabiki and occasionally kicking Soun or Genma back into the battle as needed. Eventually, it had ended with Soun and Genma down and out for the count and Ranma and Akane standing face to face in the middle of the yard.  
  
After almost a full minute of simply staring at each other, Akane had shuddered and turned to walk back towards the house.  
  
"Go away Ranma... Just go away." She stopped and looked around at the torn up yard. "I don't care anymore. I'm tired of the fighting and I'm tired of being angry. Just... Go."  
  
He just couldn't believe it. After all that had happened and after all that they had been thru. She wanted him to go. It seemed that he had been correct in what he'd said to Nabiki about Akane hating him.  
  
He'd looked away for only a moment but when he turned back around Akane was gone. Kasumi was... well she wasn't crying, but she had the saddest look on her face that Ranma could ever remember seeing. A quick hug and a goodbye from her, a couple of comments and, very surprisingly, a hug from Nabiki of all people, and Ranma walked out of the Tendou's yard for what he was certain was the last time.  
  
It had come as a surprise a few minutes later when he'd realized that Happosai was walking alongside of him and had been since he'd left the Tendou's.  
  
When the shock had finally left his face, an unusually somber Happosai stood there and regarded him. "What my boy... You think you'd been completely kicked out?"  
  
"What do you want?" Ranma asked, and then couldn't help adding, "You old freak."  
  
"Now, now, boy. Believe it or not, I'm on your side this time."  
  
"Sh'yeah, right. As if."  
  
"Ranma my boy, I'm an old man. I'm older than you'd think, and I've seen a lot of things in this world." At this comment Ranma managed (barely) to hold the sarcastic comment in. "I know what Genma told you about the School, and I have something to say about that. "  
  
Ranma tensed himself for the worst. Genma had already forbidden him to practice the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling back at the dojo. What would the Grandmaster of the school have to say about him now? He thought he was prepared, for whatever sentence Happosai would pass onto him, but he wasn't.  
  
"Here." Happosai said, as he thrust a small parchment towards the young martial artist. "Go on boy, take it."  
  
"What the..." Ranma's voice trailed off as he started to read the document. His certification, signed by Happosai, proclaiming him Master of the Ranma (space) School of Indiscriminate Grappling. "Why the space after my name?" He finally asked after he managed to find his voice. He hadn't expected such a gift from the little pervert. Girls undies maybe, but not this.  
  
"If/when you find your real father, you can fill it in. Or just take your Mother's family name of Yashida. Whichever. I left you enough room for you to fill it in."  
  
Ranma looked at the old man real hard for a moment. "Why? Why this? Why from you?"  
  
"What? Can't I do something nice, something right, for a change?"  
  
"No."  
  
Happosai looked up at the teen and grinned. "Oh well, you're right. I did it for two reasons. One: You are more than skilled enough to be a Master of the school."  
  
"And the second reason?" Ranma pried. He knew that he was better than Soun and Genma, that was a given. It wasn't hubris, it was fact.  
  
If anything, the smile on Happy's face became wider. "The other reason is that I could never really deny my Granddaughter anything she really wanted."  
  
"Your Granddaughter?" Ranma was confused here at the sudden shift in the conversation.  
  
The smile on Happy's face threatened to wrap around his ugly little head. "Yes, my boy, you know... Your Mother."  
  
Ranma thought about it for a moment. Then he thought about it some more. "Ewwwww! You have got to be kidding me!" Ranma was starting to get nauseas just thinking about it. Here he'd found out that he wasn't related to Genma, which although he missed having the name Saotome, could be looked at as a good thing, only to find out that he was related to Happosai. Life sucked. A lot.  
  
"What's wrong my boy?" Happy said chuckling. "Don't you see the family resemblance?"  
  
"What? No. Ewwww... I... Ewwww..." Ranma gulped noisily and looked pale. "How many other people know about this?"  
  
"Just your mother, you, and me, why?"  
  
Ranma looked around nervously. "Good, why don't we keep it that way huh?"  
  
*FLASH*  
  
*Everything said and done the old freak was pretty damn nice to me.* Ranma shook his head *Till he pulled out the bucket of water and the negligee though* Ranma had of course had to fight a running battle all the way to the airport. Luckily he had lost the pervert in the Swedish stewardess' changing room. *Damn, I'm still not sure if he was telling the truth about being Mom's grandfather or if he was just yanking my chain in order to give me my certification without being all nice and stuff.*  
  
Sigh *Akane. Why did it have to be so hard? I tried. You tried, and we still couldn't make it work.* Ranma sat back a little and let his eyes close. He was finally admitting to himself that he did love her. *It was always so difficult for us to talk without arguing though. Why couldn't she and I have been friends like she wanted us to be way back whe...*  
  
Ranma sat straight up and his eyes opened wide. *Damn, I am an idiot. I do love her. I just don't like her.* Ranma's mouth hung open a little as he contemplated this. *It's the exact opposite of my problem with Ukyou. I love her but I resent her, I don't like her or a lot of the things she does. And I'm certain that she feels the same way. It explains all of our problems our fights and our feelings.*  
  
Ranma closed his eyes again and snuggled back into the seat. The thoughts seemed to come faster and faster as he relived the last year and a little bit of his life. The fights, the smiles, the pain, the hunger for... something. His first memories of Akane, with her asking if he wanted to be friends, and the nightmare it had become when she walked into the bathroom and discovered his curse. The pain from that unintentional deception and his and her reactions to the aftermath had fixed their fate as a couple from day one. They'd never been able to get past the lack of trust in order to really like one another. They'd come to love one another but not trust, not like and not talk like they needed to.  
  
*Damn...* Ranma turned his head to the side and, noting that the lights were still down for the movie, quietly did something he almost never did. He quietly cried as he watched the clouds go by. Crying for what could have been and never would be. For a love that happened and a friendship that didn't.  
  
  
  
  
  
This wasn't planned, it just came out this way and I'm trying to get past a bit of writer's block. If you like it, please leave a review. If you don't then leave a review and tell me why... I'm hoping to add a chapter a month (or faster if I can)  
  
QuickSilver Knight 


End file.
